At 3 a.m. on July 7th, the last quarterfinal of the European Championship will take place, with Turkey set to face the Netherlands. Ahead of the match, Turkish midfielder Kokcu spoke in an interview, expressing his disappointment at being suspended for the encounter but maintaining faith in his teammates’ ability to advance to the next round.
Reflecting on receiving yellow cards in both the group stage match against the Czech Republic and the Round of 16 fixture versus Austria, which led to his suspension, Kokcu said, “It breaks my heart. I would do anything to play against the Netherlands in this crucial game. Nevertheless, I have full confidence in my teammates; they will give their all to ensure we move forward.”
Born in the Netherlands, Kokcu has previously played for the youth teams of Groningen and Feyenoord. His dream is to lead Turkey to the semi-finals of this year’s European Championship next Wednesday. He vividly remembers watching Turkey face Germany in the semi-finals of the 2008 tournament. Kokcu recalled, “I was only seven years old then. My brother and I watched every match of that Euro together in the Netherlands. From that moment, I dreamed of playing in such games myself.”